The String's the Thing

The most commonly used and available strings are 100% cotton. These strings are easy on the fingers and work very well with the common soft wood axles. Rarely, you may come across strings using artificial fiber ("hard strings"); ditch them and find a reliable supplier of cotton strings. One very nice characteristic of cotton strings is that they are "stretchy", which reduces the shock when you throw a fast sleeper (see the previous article "Restful Sleepers").

Strings are inexpensive, so keep a generous supply on hand. Then make it a practice to replace your YoYo string often; certainly before it becomes noticeably dirty and absolutely before it breaks! When you mount a string on your YoYo, here's a procedure that will help you get best YoYo performance:

- open the loop at the YoYo end of the string a couple of inches and slip the loop into the YoYo groove over the axle.

- before you try to wind the string up to your hand, grasp the string about three inches above the YoYo between the thumb and forefinger of your YoYo hand.

- with the YoYo in your other hand, unwind the twist in the string to open the string loop from the axle to your YoYo hand.

- keep tension on the string and move your YoYo hand away from the YoYo (slowly to avoid burning your thumb and forefinger) and watch the twist of the string redistribute itself evenly and smoothly into to YoYo groove.

- give the YoYo a clockwise spin to tighten the twist in the string and thus tighten loop at the axle, then wind the string up to your hand and you're ready to go.

This procedure assures you that there are no kinks in the string and no uneven winds anywhere near the YoYo and certainly none in the YoYo groove.

The YoYo string always needs to be retired before it dies. When it looks dull and grey, when it has developed a noticeably and permanent tight twist, or when it has lost its supple and stretchy feel - replace it! Any of these conditions will downgrade the performance of your YoYo. Many YoYo players use strings far beyond their effective and useful life. Don't make that mistake.

Remember, "The String's the Thing" that gets you to the State of YO!